Pride Fighting - Critical Countdown Predictions

Well, it's that time again. Time for another installment of MMA predictions. Last time out, I was 6 of 8 for predicting the outcome of the UFC 53 Heavy Hitters event. Now it is time to lay down the prediction for the ongoing Pride FC Middleweight Tournament, Critical Countdown! There are some great match-ups here and some not so great, but almost every fight features at least one MMA "A" class fighter. Without futher ado, Pride FC Middleweight Tournament, Critical Countdown predictions: Current Pride FC Middleweight Champ, Wanderlei Silva vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura This will be a fun fight as Nakamura has proven that he can hang with the best of them. He doesn't have what it takes to put away the Axe Murderer, but I think it will go past the first round as Nakamura is very crafty. Wanderlei will eventually corner Nakamura where Nakamura (due to his shortness) will be an easy target for Silva's vicious knees. Wanderlei Silva - KO -2nd Rd Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Ricardo Arona A couple of years ago, this would have been a much better match up. Sak, who used the be the king, has long since passed the torch. Although he still has many tricks up his sleeve, I think the age and wear and tear has caught up with him and Arona is just too fast. Arona has trouble ending fights, so I'm taking him to win by decision in what could possibly be a somewhat boring fight. Ricardo Arona - Decision Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira This should be a hell of a fight, maybe the toughest to call in the tourney. Both are at the top of their games and both are world class MMA fighters. Rua showed a lot last time out and comes in with youth and confidence on his side. Lil' Nog won't be intimidated as he has fought the best. If the battle is standing up, Shogun has the edge. On the ground, Nogueira. I think Mauricio when put on the ground will be crafty enough to bring it back on their feet. Noguerira is wont be submitted and it would probably take the likes of Wanderli to KO him. This one goes the distance. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua - Decision Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Alistair Overeem Stiker vs striker in what could easily be the "funnest" fight of the night. Since dropping to the Middleweight division, Vovchanchyn has looked razor sharp. Alistar put up a good battle with Liddell, but Liddell's style of being flatfooted favored Alistar (and his reach). Vovchanchyn will not be a stand still target as he stays active and is light on his feet. We have seen Igor get KO'd, so a striker like Alistair has a chance, a small chance. This one will not be left in the judges hands. Igor Vovchanchyn - KO - 3rd Round Additional Matches (Non-Tournament): Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Pawel Nastula Mr. MMA vs. Mr. Judo. If you dont' know about Nogueria, you don't know your MMA. One of the most well rounded fighters in the biz who can beat you on your feet or on the ground. His hands are deadly, but he's not afraid to exhange and over time can do some damage. Nastula is an amazing Judo player, stacked with titles. Unfortunately for him, he's never fought mixed martial arts. He sure picked one hell of a tough opponent his first time out. If this wasn't MMA, Pawel might have the edge, but this isn't. Once Nogeria softens him up with strikes, Nastula will expose himself and Nog will catch him with a submission Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Submission - Round 2 Sergei Kharitonov vs. Pedro Rizzo My, my, which Pedro will show up? Rizzo has KO's some big boys, bigger than Kharitonov. But that was when Rizzo was at the top of his game. In recent years, he's looked flatter than his belly, which isn't saying much. Rizzo has the ability to knock anyone out with just one punch (maybe with the exception of Fujita) so never rule that out. I've been impressed so far with what I've seen from Kharitonov and think he is good for the sport as he shows a diverse skillset and he's not afraid to trade blows. I think this will be a boring fight as Rizzo has shown time and time again that he doesn't like to press the pace. Sergei Kharitonov - Decision Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Ibragim Magomedov Croatia vs. Russia...the battle of the Eastern Bloc. Mirko is one of the most exciting MMA fighters to watch, especially if you value the stand up game over the technical ground game. He has heavy fist and can KO anyone. Ibragim has a lot of experience in Russia winning a few tournaments, but I think he's getting in over his head in his first Pride Fighting Championship fight. Unless Cro Cop doesn't take this fight seriously, he'll out class Ibragim and KO him...lights out! Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic - KO - 1st Round